City Council recognizes Indigenous People’s Day, restricts local campaign contributions

City Council passed a resolution Sept. 18 to recognize Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day, and another resolution to restrict campaign contributions for mayoral and City Council candidates.

The council approved a resolution observing the second Monday of October as “Indigenous People’s Day.” Although it coincides with Columbus Day, the city never officially recognized Columbus Day. Indigenous People’s Day will an observance day and not a holiday.

City Council made an amendment to Ordinance 2018-37 to limit campaign contributions from individuals to mayoral and City Council candidates to $500 per election cycle, and prohibit city officials or employees to take any official action affecting the economic interest of a person or business entity from whom the official has received a campaign contribution in an amount exceeding $300.

Political actions committees will not be regulated and the ordinance will not apply to contributions that received prior to Nov. 7, 2018.

The city also approved an increased property tax rate for the 2018 tax year at 61.39 cents for every $100 of taxable value of real property not exempt from taxation. This equals a 3.9% increase to the tax rate.